Seal for tunnel kilns



Feb. 2, 1965 I c, M LE 3,168,299

SEAL FOR TUNNEL KILNS Filed July 16, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR..BoYb C. M\ LLEE.

imrwmg A Tram/5K5 Feb. 2, 1965 Filed July 16, 1963 B. C. MILLER SEAL.FOR TUNNEL KILNS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. BOYD C. Ml LLE'R UnitedStates Patent 3,168,299 SEAL FOR TUNNEL KILNS Boyd C. Miller, 1123 W.Henderson St., Salisbury, N.C. Filed July 16, 1963, Ser. No. 295,460 2Claims. (Cl. 26328) This invention generally relates to improved sealingmeans for kilns, as for example of the type described in my prior US.Patent No. 2,928,158, which kilns generally include successive drying,pre-heating, furnace, fast-cooling, annealing, and final coolingsections through which wares of divers types are removed on a train ofkiln cars supported on suitable tracks extending through the entirekiln, or of the type known as periodic kilns wherein the complete waretreating operation is carried out in one chamber.

Such kilns are generally adapted to be supported above a longitudinallyextending foundation slab, as, for example, on a complex of opposed,longitudinally spaced pillars connected together by transverse floorbeams. Such mode of construction results in the lower portion of thekiln being substantially open and thus, necessitates the provision ofsuitable means within the kiln for sealing the ware treating areathereof to thereby prevent the escape of air or heated gases therefromor the introduction of outside air therein. In my aforementioned patent,such sealing means primarily include the provision of longitudinallyextending, downwardly depending sealing strips mounted on opposite sideedges of each kiln car for mating with longitudinally extending sandtroughs positioned in the side wall of the kiln.

The instant invention relates specifically to improvements in suchsealing means and has for its primary object the provision of improvedmeans for preventing air in the ware treating zone above the beds of thekiln cars from passing into the area therebeneath, and vice versa.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved kiln carconstruction wherein the necessity for wheels is eliminated.

It is still another object of this invention to replace said sandtroughs with more efficient and more simple sealing means.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as' the description proceeds, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which-- FIGURE 1 is a traverse verticalsectional view of the pre-heating section of a tunnel kiln and waresupporting kiln car positioned therein;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectional viewof substantially the area encompassed by the rectangle indicated bydash-dot lines in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 33 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken along lines 33in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional viewof substantially the area encompassed by the rectangle indicated bydash-dot lines in FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional plan view taken substantially alonglines 5-5 in FIGURE 1.

Referring now more specifically to the figures, the reference characterK broadly designates a tunnel-type kiln similar to that described in myaforementioned patent. Such kiln is basically supported upon afoundation slab or floor 10 which extends the entire length of the kiln.Stepped support pillars 11 and 11' (FIGURE 1) are spaced alongfoundation slab 10 and form the main sup port for the kiln side walls,broadly indicated at 12, 12 and the kiln roof 13. The stepped pillars 11and 11 further support the respective ends of spaced, transverselyextending floor beams 14 which are additionally supported 3,168,299 CPatented Feb. 2, 1965 in their medial portions by support pillars 15which rest upon the fundation slab 10.

Longitudinally extending, spaced, preferably steel rails 20a, 20b and200 are provided in the lower portion of the kiln K and supported by thefloor beams 14. Such rails 20, in turn, support a train of waresupporting juxtaposed cars broadly indicated at C, which train isadapted to be pushed through the kiln K at predetermined speed bysuitable means, not shown. Preferably, such rails are provided with railcaps 21 (FIGURE 2) on the upper surfaces thereof, which caps are formedof a relatively soft mtaerial, such as, for example, cast iron, brass,bronze, plastics, combinations of plastics and metals, or any suitableself-lubricating materials, to reduce the friction between such railsand kiln cars C which are slidably supported thereon as will be morefully explained hereinafter.

Referring again, and more specifically, to the side walls 12 (FIGURE 1),such side walls are provided with builtup, inwardly extending,continuous shelf portions 30, 30' which extend longitudinally of thekiln and which are themselves provided with downwardly depending,longitudinally extending, continuous curtain walls 31, 31' which coverthe inward faces of the upper stepped portions 32, 32 of each steppedsupport 11 while also spanning the openings intermediate such steppedsupports.

Referring again, and more specifically, to the ware supporting cars C,each of such cars is provided with a refractory base 40 forming aplatform within the kiln upon which the ware W is placed, such warebeing shown in this particular instance as sewer pipe. Each such base 40is mounted for sliding movement along the rails 20 on a substantiallyrectangular frame broadly indicated at 41. As shown, each frame 41comprises a plurality of longitudinally extending, spaced I-beams 42a,42b, and 42c interconnected at their respective ends with transverselyextending channels members 43, 43. Rail engaging runners 44a, 44b, and440 are mounted on the underside of respective beams 42a, 42b, and 426and slidably engage the rail caps 21 of each rail 20. Preferably, eachrunner 44 is provided with a downwardly depending flange 45, 45 on eachside thereof to prevent transverse movement of the frames 41 on therails 20. For maximum strength, such beams 42, members 43 and runners 44are all preferably constructed of steel. 7

It will be apparent from the construction of the frame 41 that thepositioning of the longitudinal support beams 42a and 42c aboverespective rails 20a and 20c provides longitudinal air seal between therefractory base 40 of each car C and the underlying portions of therails 20 therebeneath and thus longitudinally seals off the area beneaththe base 40 and the area intermediate the rails 20 from the waretreating zone of the kiln.

Further, in order to provide a transverse seal at the juncture ofadjacent cars C and thereby substantially completely seal said areabelow the cars C and intermediate the rails 20, the front and rear edgesof each frame 41 are provided with respective mating or sealing members50, 51 (FIGURE 4) which extend along the length of respective transversebeams 43, 43' (FIGURE 5). The rear sealing member 50 is shaped in theform of an angle iron or substantially V-shaped member with its sharpedge extending forwardly, and the front sealing member 51 is shaped inthe form of a channel bar so that the V-shaped member 50 positioned onthe leading edge of each successive car C fits between the flanges ofthe channel-shaped member 51 of a preceding car.

Obviously, tremendous forces are exerted upon the mating members 50, 51by the respective cars C. Thus, to prevent damage to such members, Ipreferably position steel blocks 52, 52 in juxtaposed relation belowsuch members 50, 51, respectively, on the faces of the 3 channel members43, 43 ,tovabsorb the majorportion of pressure exerted by the cars Cupon each other.

As previously stated, the above-described construction of the kiln c-ars C provides a longitudinal seal intermediate the rails 20 and atransverseseal atthe juncture of each of such cars C. ,With theprovisionof these seals, the onlynnsealed area r'emaining between the areas aboveand-below the rails20 are those 'spac'es between the, side walls; 1 1,11 and their adjacent rails ,2021 and 1206. Thus, ino'rde r to sealthese spaces, and thereby complete the seal between the areas above andbelow the rails 20, I provide longitudinally extending, elongate,continuous plates f60, 50f (FIGURE for sealably connecting side walls11, 1'1 torai lsifl'a and.zoarespecayely. ,Assho'w'n I URE 2), o e edgeor the'plates 66; is. embedded in acorrespondirf'g curtain wall 3'1,while the other edge'is sealably anchored by suitable, means tothe-lower portion of, a rail 20, and as; such, seals "the remaining openareas betweenea'ch side wall 11 and rail 2%) adjacent said wall.

, In the drawings and ,specificaftion there has been set :fortha-pre'fer'r'ed embodiment the invention and, although specific terms arempieyea-ihe are used in a .ge'ne'ric and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in.the claims.

.1 In a kilnhaving opposed side walls, a floor, longitndiriallyextending, spaced, parallel rails positioned in the lower portionthereof, one or more ware supporting platform s guida-bly sup orted forldiigitudinalfmover'rient abav'e 's'aidn om; 'tae'ccmbi aaondr I a (a) aplurality of substantially rectangular frames, each mounting one of saidplatforms for sliding movement 'on said rails and for sealing the areaintermediate. the rails from the area thereabove, each offs'aid frames"comprising interconnected longitudi- 'nal and tra'nsver se beamsextending substantially be- .ft'ween said rails and the 'undersiirface'of'eaeh corres'ponding plattor'm, each of said longitudinal beams"being positioned above one of said rails an having alongitndinal railengaging runner mounted. on the underside thereof-for slidably engaginga corresponding rail, each iof said .riinnershaving downwardlyideperiding flafngesdn eachside thereof for preventing lateral movementof saidframe by engagement with said 'rail's, said transverse beamsgpositioned on the leading and trailing edges "or each frame and beingprovided with sealing means for sealably abutting mating sealing meanson immediately adjacent transverse beams to form a transverse sealingmeans between each frame, and a (b) an elongate, substantiallyhorizontal, continuous partition mounted between each side wall and railadjacent thereto for sealing the area intermediate thereof from the areathereabove, whereby said interconnected longitudinal and transversebeams, said sealing means, and said partitions cooperate to prevent theexchange of air between the areas above said platforms and below saidrails.

2. In a vkiln having opposed side walls, afloor,longit'udinallyex'tendin'g, spaced, parallel rails positioned in thelower portion thereof, on'e or mor'e' ware supporting platform'sgnid'ably supported for longitudinal movement above said floorsuhecombination of v a '(a) means supporting said platforms for slidingmovement on said rails and for sealing the area intermediate the railsfrom the area thereabove, said platform supporting meanscomp'rising I(l) jrail caps of friction reducing material mounted on the'uppersurface of each of said rails, '(2) longitudinal beams extendingdownwardly from the undersurfac'e of each corresponding ,platform and inalinerne'nt with said rails, and (3) a longitudinal runner mounted onthe ur'id ersurface of each 'of said longitudinal beams "for "slidablyengaging said rail caps, said longitudina'l runners each having flangesdepending down- ,wardly on each side 'Ofsaid. rail for limiting lateralmovement of said runner'on said rail, and

('b) an elongate, substantially horizontal, continuous partition mountedbetween each side wall and rail adjacent thereto whereby'a seal isformed by engagernent of said platform supporting means and by 'saidpartition to 'prevent the exchange of air between 'the areasabovesaidplat form and below said rails.

References Cited by the'Examiner UNITED 'sTATEs P AT'ENTS 2,853,289 9/58Schofield -26328 X 2,982,530 5/ 6'1 Dr-akengr'en 263-28 CHARLES SUKALO,Primary Examiner. "JOHN J." CAMBY, Examiner,

2. IN A KILN HAVING OPPOSED SIDE WALLS, A FLOOR, LONGITUDINALLYEXTENDING SPACED, PARALLEL RAILS POSITIONED IN THE LOWER PORTIONTHEREOF, ONE OR MORE WARE SUPPORTING PLATFORMS GUIDABLY SUPPORTED FORLONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT ABOVE SAID FLOORS; THE COMBINATION OF (A) MEANSSUPPORTING SAID PLATFORMS FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT ON SAID RAILS AND FORSEALING THE AREA INTERMEDIATE THE RAILS FROM THE AREA THEREABOVE, SAIDPLATFORM SUPPORTING MEANS COMPRISING (1) RAIL CAPS FOR FRICTION REDUCINGMATERIAL MOUNTED ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF EACH OF SAID RAILS, (2)LONGITUDINAL BEAMS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UNDERSURFACE OF EACHCORRESPONDING PLATFORM AND IN ALINEMENT WITH SAID RAILS, AND